Emma and the Chocolatier
by jj9397
Summary: Instead of Charlie Bucket winning the fifth golden ticket, a 17 year old orphan named Emma does, and she captures the heart of a certain Chocolatier. How does he react to these new feelings he has? Can he summon the courage to tell her how he feels, and will she feel the same? (This is my first fanfic, so don’t judge too harshly, but I’ll gladly take constructive criticism)
1. Chapter One

**Hello dear readers! This is my first FanFiction, so I hope y'all like it. This is based off of the 2005 movie mainly because I love Johnny Depp, and I honestly have always wanted to see Willy Wonka end up with someone. I will say the quotes from the movie aren't exact, but I tried to make it close. I know there are similar stories about a girl coming to the factory, but this is just my take and how I envisioned it in my head. It's rated T because I'm not sure where it's going to go, so the rating may change. And lastly, I do not own CatCF or any characters, except Emma Mason. Yeah, I think that about covers it. Enjoy!**

How did he get here? How did he go from thinking of nothing and no one other than his precious chocolate, to suddenly transfixed on one person, one woman? _Not just a woman_, he thought. A most incredible woman. A kind, curious, intelligent, gentle woman, and his equal and likeness in every way. She shared his ideas and thoughts. Shared his interests and passions. She was something he never knew he needed, but now that she was there, he couldn't remember what he was before she came into his life.

So there he stood. His hand curled into a fist raised in mid air, trying to muster up enough courage to actually bring himself to knock. He stared at the rich colored mahogany door, knowing that this door guarded the greatest beauty he had ever known. He wondered about how she looked on the other side of that door. What would she be wearing? Would she be asleep or still fighting her drowsiness by reading a book or sketching some new idea? He wondered if her rich dark curls were cascading down past her shoulders, or if they were neatly tied at the nape of her neck with only a select few stray pieces framing her porcelain face. He took a deep breath, ready to see her eyes greet him, but instead of knocking, he was thrown into one of his notorious flashbacks. He suddenly saw her door fade away, and it melted into the front door of the factory; the door that led to the outside world. He was back to the beginning. Back to where it all started.

When he sent out the golden tickets, he had one purpose. Find an heir. Find someone to continue his life's work, his passion. And as he pushed the doors of the factory open, so that he may slip outside and surprise his guests as they watched his show, he felt his stomach knot up, and his chest tighten. For countless years, the only human interaction he had had was with the Oompa Loompas. He realized then how scared he truly was. But there was no turning back.

So he stepped out into the chill of the morning and squinted at the harsh light of the sun, and immediately retrieved his glasses from inside his jacket. He surveyed the crowd locked out by the gate. Hundreds of people with cameras, young children, and curious eyes crammed themselves up against the cold iron in hopes of getting a peek at the mysterious chocolatier and his glorious factory. The five winners and their parents had gathered at the main enterance and he could hear the sound of his own voice over the loud speaker reciting the introduction he had recorded yesterday. He silently crept behind the small crowd of people to watch his little puppet show with them. It was different, odd, and eccentric; just as he was. He found himself bopping along to the puppet's tune, and he began to relax a little. All too soon, the show ended. He couldn't contain himself, he began to clap and a large smile spread across his face. "Wasn't that fantastic, I was worried it was getting a little dodgey in the middle there, but then that finale, wow" he exclaimed. He noticed all of the eyes staring at him, and he realized just how real everything was. There were people, strangers staring him down. And he froze. "Good morning Starshine the Earth says hello" he exclaimed nervously trying to break the ice, but no one responded. "Who are you" a little girl with blonde hair questioned. As he was about to reply, a soft and melodic voice answered for him. "He's Willy Wonka". He found the owner of the voice and locked eyes with her. They were a bright green, with specks of gold in them. And her long dark curls flowed freely past her shoulders, and he realized how much they looked like his chocolate river. Her skin was nearly paler than his own, like the sweetest white chocolate. Her lips were a dark red, and her smile was causing him to tremble at the knees. Her slim body had curves in just the right places, and he found himself involuntarily looking her up and down noticing how her simple pink dress complemented her every curve. He snapped his gaze away from her when another child spoke up. "Shouldn't you be up there?" The spoilt child asked pointing to the red throne surrounded by melting puppets. "Well I couldn't very well watch the show from up there, now could I little girl?" He retorted, finding it odd that she didn't understand that. After his awkward greeting, he finally led his guests into his factory and his home.

"Just drop your coats anywhere" he said discarding his own. He turned to watch her out of the corner of his eye. She had folded her simple grey cardigan and placed it neatly on the floor. "Mr Wonka, don't you want to know our names" asked a very pudgy boy with chocolate smeared on his face. "Can't see how it would matter" he answered. He knew who they all were from the papers and television reports. All except the girl. She was older than the other four children. She looked to be around 17 or 18, and the other children ranged somewhere from 9-13. Suddenly, a pair of tiny arms encircled his waist. He gasped and tensed up at the unfamiliar touch, and he wanted to shove the child away. He was not one for physical contact, especially from such a vile child. "My name is Violet Beauguard" she said smacking her gum, a habit he found to be most annoying. "Oh, I don't care" he retorted. "Well you should care, because I'm the one who's going to win the special prize at the end" she stated. He gave her a fake smile and said "well you do seem confident, and confidence is key" hoping that would end the conversation. Thankfully it did, but then the little brown haired girl jumped in front of his path. She did a small curtsy and had a fake smile plastered on her face. "Veruca Salt, it's a pleasure to meet you sir" she said and he chuckled. "I always thought Veruca was a type of wart you got on your foot". As she frowned at him, he heard a small laugh from behind him. He didn't need to turn around to see who the melodic laughed belonged to. But he smiled inwardly and treasured the sweet sound. "My name is Augustus Gloop, and I love your chocolate" the pudgy child said taking a large bite out of his Wonka bar. "Oh, so do I. I never imagined we'd have so much in common" he said, trying to be polite. Even though he found the boy to be beastly and his eating habits disturbing, the child at least appreciated the extraordinary taste of his chocolate. He abruptly turned around to stare at the other young boy. "You, you're Mike Teavee, the little devil who cracked the system" he accused. The young boy just rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. He gave the child not a second thought, but instead slowly turned his head to the young beauty before him. "And you, well you weren't in any reports, so I don't believe we've been properly acquainted" he said, hoping he sounded somewhat charming, though he wasn't sure why he cared. "I only found my ticket yesterday Mr. Wonka. My name is Emma. Emma Mason. And I feel very lucky to be here" she said sweetly. He noticed how much he loved the sound of her voice. So soft and delicate, like sprinkling sugar into a mixing bowl. "Well, I hope you enjoy the tour Miss. Emma" he said with a slight tip of his hat, and it didn't escape his notice how her cheeks slightly reddened in color. "And the rest of you must be their..." He tried desperately to get the word out. It was a simple word: Parents. But he couldn't. He could hardly manage a single syllable. "Parents?" Veruca's father offered. "Yeah Mom's and Dad's" as he said the word, it hit him. "Dad, papa?" An image of his father flashed before his eyes and he felt himself drifting. "Mr. Wonka?" Her quiet voice brought him back. He shook his head a little to clear the image of his father from his mind and turned his attention back to his guests. "Alright children, let the tour begin" he said. As he walked them down the long corridor, he realized Emma had come alone. This puzzled him, though she was older than the others, it still seemed odd to him that her family would allow her to come by herself.

When they reached the end of the hall, he crouched down to unlock the small door. As he did, he once again felt the tightness return to his chest. His life's work was about to be on display for complete strangers to see and judge. He felt his hands start to shake a little as he turned the key. "Why is the door so small?" Mike asked. "To keep all of the big chocolaty flavor inside" he answered proudly. He gave them all a knowing and mysterious look. A look that told them they had no idea what they were in for. But he did. He knew the minute that door opened, they would be put through the test of their life. He knew that none of them would leave the same. And he knew, she stood the best chance of winning. And for reasons unknown to him at the time, that thought delighted and enthralled him. And with this knowledge, he slowly pushed open the door to paradise.


	2. Chapter Two

The overwhelming sweet scent of candy enveloped him as he led his guests inside his chocolate room. He could hear them gasp and he turned to see their wide eyed expressions, and he smiled with pride. "Don't get overexcited now, don't lose your heads" he cautioned. He knew how fantastic this room was, and he saw it everyday. He could only imagine what the others must have thought of it. "It's so beautiful" and he turned to see Emma drinking in the scenery with her bright eyes. "Oh yes. Very beautiful." He said keeping his gaze trained on her until her eyes connected with his and he quickly looked away. He then led them onto the grassy bridge and pointed toward the large chocolate waterfall and river. "The waterfall, dear children, is most important. It mixes the chocolate and churns it up. Makes it light and frothy" he stated, using his hands and cane to demonstrate. "And no other factory in the world mixes their chocolate by waterfall, and you can take that to the bank" he smiled, proud of how clever he had been to come up with such an innovative idea. Just then, a large pipe came out over the river. "Oh, those pipes suck up the chocolate from the river, and carry it all over the factory, where it's used to make all kinds of candy" he informed them. When no one said anything in response to his facts, he cleared his throat thinking of something else to say. He then gestured toward the ground. "Please try a blade of my grass, please do. It's so delectable and so gosh darn good looking" he smiled, though when no one immediately reached for it, he began to get nervous. Then he saw Emma slowly bend down and select a blade of grass from the meadow, and he watched as she raised it to her lips. "You can really eat the grass?" She asked. Her question was asked with a tone of curiosity and not one of skepticism, a detail he greatly appreciated. "Of course. Everything in this room is edible. Even I'm edible, but that is called cannibilsm my dear children, and is frowned upon in most societies" he said hoping to give them a small life lesson. She giggled a little at this, and placed the blade in her mouth. He saw her eyes light up and she smiled once more. "Amazing" she beamed and he felt his knees shake once more at her smile. He couldnt understand how that smile had such an effect on him. It troubled him, but also excited him, and he felt all together confused by the whole thing. "Well go on and enjoy children, but remember, my river must not be touched by human hands" he warned. This was the first test he created for Augustus. Though deep down, he knew the boy would fail. He could see it by the look in the child's eyes. There was no way he would be able to resist.

He watched them all scatter. He saw all of the children, and even some of the parents, stuff their faces with different candies. All except Emma. He watched her as she calmly walked around the meadow, looking at everything with wide eyes filled with curiosity. She stopped by his candy apple tree and carefully selected her treat. He noticed how gentle she was with everything, as if it would crumble to ash if she handled it to harshly. He watched as she brought it to her lips, and she closed her eyes savoring the taste as she bit in to it. He shook himself and tried to regain some composure, and he was glad no one seemed to notice his obvious staring. He couldn't identify the feeling he had growing in the pit of his stomach. But he knew, she was different. He realized he had begun walking in her direction. His body moving without his knowledge, as if she were a magnet pulling him to her against his will. When he finally stopped directly behind her, he didn't know what to say. "What do you think?" he asked barely above a whisper. She turned around at his voice, unaware he had been approaching. "You really want to know?" She asked and he nodded. "It's incredible" she smiled and he returned it. "You've created a paradise Mr. Wonka. I can't imagine the amount of time and care that must have gone into creating this place. To have so much passion for something, is such a remarkable gift" she exclaimed, and he could hardly believe her maturity. She had baffled him with her words. "Do you mind me asking your age" he blurted out, his curiosity getting the better of him. She blushed again, something he found to be quite becoming. "I'm 17 sir. I turn 18 next month, so I just barely qualified as a child for your contest" she said with a laugh and he giggled as well. "Well, I'm glad you did" he responded shyly.

"Daddy what's that over there" Veruca shouted. Emma turned her attention to the direction Veruca was pointing, and he did as well. "It's a little person!" she exclaimed as they all gathered to take a look. "Who are they?" Mrs. Gloop asked. "Where did they come from" asked Mrs. Beaurguard. "Are they real people?" Questioned Mike. At that, he took offense. "Of course they're real people. They're Oompa Loompas." He answered. "Oompa Loompas?" Mr. Salt asked, clearly confused. "Yes, straight from Loompa Land." He explained. "There's no such place" Mr. Teavee interjected. "Of course there is" he countered. "Mr. Wonka, I teach high school geography, and I'm here to tell you..." but he was cut off. "Well then you'll know all about it, and what a terrible country it is" he replied grimly. He explained to all of them of his travels in Loomp land and how he brought his loyal and mischievous workers back to the factory with him. "Do they ever miss home?" Emma asked and he gave her a gentle smile, and he realized he had never asked if his workers got homesick. He couldn't imagine why they would. After all, he never did. Before he could come up with a reply, however, Mrs Gloop let out a loud gasp. "Augustus my son, that is not a good thing you do!" She squealed. They all turned to see the boy taking large gulps of chocolate from the river. He felt himself cringe. Though he knew this would happen, it still made him sick to think of someone touching his prized chocolate river. "Little boy, my chocolate mustn't be touched by human hands!" He shouted. Just as he did, the boy lost his balance and fell head first into the river. He rolled his eyes and grimaced. _Here we go_, he thought to himself. "Please help him, he can not swim!" His mother yelled with panic in her voice. Just then, he saw the pipes coming over head. Suddenly, Emma darted from the back of the group, and he realized that she intended to help the boy. He grabbed hold of her arms before she broke free of the group and she shot him a confused and alerted look. "The child needs help sir!" She exclaimed. Though he knew she didn't understand his plan, it warmed his heart to see how she cared for someone she hardly knew. She was willing to go in and help a stranger, and for some reason, it humbled him. "Don't worry, look" he said pointing to the pipes which had now dipped into the water and began to suck the boy up. She gapped at the sight and turned her head back to him. "You mean?" She questioned, and he gave her a slight nod. He then heard the Oompa Loompas begin their song. "Why I do believe they're going to treat us with a song. It's been quite a while since they've had a real audience." He beamed and watched as she turned her attention towards their performance.

When the song was over, the child had disappeared from sight as the pipes carried him over the factory.

"I do say, that all seemed rather rehearsed" noted Mr. Salt. "Like they knew it was going to happen." Mike added. At Mike's statement Emma met the chocolatier's eyes, and he gave her a small grin. "Where does that pipe go, where is it taking my son?" Mrs. Gloop asked hastily. "That pipe just so happens to lead to the room where I make the most delicious strawberry flavored chocolate coated fudge." He answered proudly. He watched as the woman's eyes grew wider. "Then he will be made into strawberry flavored chocolate coated fudge? They'll be selling him by the pound all of the world?" She cried hysterically. He wrinkled his face at the woman. "No I wouldn't allow it. The taste would be terrible. Can you imagine Augustus flavored chocolate coated Gloop? Ew. No one would by it." He answered mortified at her accusation. He noticed that Emma had covered her mouth with her hand trying to hide her laugh, and he felt himself grinning. He then made a series of sounds to alert one of the Oompa Loompas to come to his aid. "I want you to take Mrs. Gloop to the fudge room and help her find her son. Take a big stick, and start poking around in the giant mixing bowl. Ok?" He said as he demonstrated with his cane what he needed his employee to do. The small man grabbed hold of Mrs. Gloop and drug her away towards the exit.

"Alright, onward" He stated and the group followed in step behind him. _One down, three to go_, he thought. He only hoped the outcome would be as he expected. He suddenly felt her brush up beside of him, and he felt his breathing become just a little faster. "You knew that would happen, didn't you?" She asked. He once again took note of her tone. She wasn't accusing him, she wasn't angry, she was simply curious, and he liked that. "My dear, how could I have possibly known that was going to happen?" He asked, the lie coming off his tongue sounding very convincing. "Because, you're Willy Wonka" she said. He stopped and looked at her and noticed the fascination in her eyes. "That I am" he answered mysteriously. She looked as if she was about to say something else, when the faint pounding of drums were heard coming from a tunnel in the river. "What is that?" She asked looking at him. He looked at her with a hint of mischief in his eyes. "That would be our ride".


	3. Chapter Three

**_Hello again! So this chapter is a little long and it does discuss what happened to Emma's parents. I didn't go into a lot of detail, but it is sad, so just warning you now. This is honestly my favorite chapter I've written so far, so here's hoping y'all like it too! _**

The large pink seahorse boat came into view, and a smile spread across his face as he watched Emma's eyes widen in delight. As the group came upon the boat, the dozen or so Oompa Loompas began to laugh. He couldn't help but chuckle along with his friends. He knew they found his plan amusing, and he was glad they had approved. "What's so funny?" Violet asked, still loudly chewing her gum. "Must be all those gosh darn Cocoa beans" he lied. "By the way, did you know that chocolate triggers the release of endorphins?" He asked and he turned his gaze to Emma and found himself staring into her big green eyes. "It gives one the feeling of being in love" he stated, keeping his gaze trained on her until she blushed and looked away. He wasn't sure why he was acting this way towards her. Truth be told, it frightened him, but it was like he couldn't help himself, as if he had no control over his own actions. "You don't say?" Violet's Mother purred, pulling him from his thoughts, and he felt himself cringe. "K, all aboard" he replied uncomfortably. He watched as they all made their way into the boat. As he climbed in, he turned and extended his hand to her. "Thank you" she said gently taking his hand to climb into the boat. At the small contact, he noticed how his heart raced and his breath caught. He was very confused, these feelings were happening so fast, and he didn't understand them. He tried to reason that it was simply because he was nervous for today, and it had been years since he had human contact. It was nothing more than a trick of the mind. But he knew, if he believed that, he'd be lying to himself. _This is just so...weird_, he thought as he lowered himself to the seat next to her.

"Onward" he yelled to the Oompa Loompas and the boat began to go down the river. He stared at her, memorizing the details of her pale face. He noticed how her nose was a little crooked, and small light brown freckles were splattered around her cheekbones. Her eyes, though they were bright in color, contained something sad. Like her darkest memories were swimming just beneath the surface, and would burst free at any moment, bringing with them hundreds of unshed tears. She must have felt his eyes, because she slowly turned and locked her eyes with his own. He jerked his gaze away, and pretended that he had not been openly staring. He then grabbed a small ladle, and dipped it into the river, bringing back a small drink of chocolate. "Here try this, it'll do you good" he said as he passed it to her. She gladly accepted, and brought it to her dark red lips. He watched her carefully as she drank in the flavor. "It's delicious" she said delighted, passing the ladle back to him. "That's because it's mixed by waterfall, it mixes the chocolate and makes it light and frothy. And no other factory in the world mixes its chocolate by waterfall" as the words fell quickly from his mouth, he mentally scolded himself, he knew he had already told them all that, but she had made him nervous, and he didn't know what else to say. "You already said that" Veruca snipped at him and he frowned as he looked for some sort of comeback. "You're all quite short aren't you" he retorted, sitting up a little straighter. "Well yeah, we're children" Violet fired back. "Well that's no excuse, I was never as short as you" he replied. "You were once" Mike argued. "No I wasn't. You know why? Because I distinctly remember putting a hat on top of my head. Look at your short little arms, you could never reach" He jested and he felt her laugh beside of him and he grinned. "Do you remember much from your childhood sir?" She asked with polite curiosity and he gave her a fake smile. "Oh boy do I!" He exclaimed and then his face fell. " Do I?" He questioned himself. He felt himself thrown into an intense flashback. Halloween and trick or treat, his father hurling the precious candy into the fire as the young boy stood there watching it burn.

"Mr. Wonka" once again it was her gentle voice bringing him back to the present. "We're approaching a tunnel" she informed him. "Oh yes. Full speed ahead!" He called and the boat charged forward and they were thrown into the pitch black. "Can they see where they're going?" She inquired and he laughed. "Oh no. There's no telling where they're going." He chuckled. "Lights" he called out. The lights illuminated the darkenss just in time, as they were rapidly going down a drop in the river. The boat was surging and he suddenly felt her hands grip his arm. He tensed at the contact, but not because he didn't like it. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He rather liked the fact that she had latched onto him for security. _But I hate being touched_, he thought to himself. So why did her touch bother him in a different way? When she realized she had grabbed him, she quickly let go of his arm. "I'm sorry sir, it was a reflex" she apologized. "Oh, um, it's quite alright" he said giving her a light pat on the hand. He felt himself release a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He knew they were approaching some more of the factory's rooms and he needed to focus. "Keep an eye out people, were passing some very important rooms" he informed his guests. They passed several of the cream rooms and came upon the cows being whipped by the Oompa Loompas. "Whipped cream" she said to herself. "Precisely" He said smiling. "That doesn't make any sense" Veruca said turning up her nose at the display. "Well whipped cream isn't whipped cream at all unless it's been whipped by whips. Everyone knows that" he retorted. "Mr. Wonka, does it harm them?" Emma asked with slight concern. "Of course not my dear, I wouldn't allow that" he reassured her, and she smiled accepting his answer.

"Oh stop the boat" he shouted as the Oompa Loompas pulled up alongside a room labeled _Inventing Room_. "I want to show you guys something" he said like a young child. They all stepped out of the boat, and once again he offered his hand to her, and she gladly accepted it. He then led them all into one of his favorite rooms. They stepped inside and he heard her gasp. He smiled down at her as she peered around the room taking it all in. "This is where the magic happens isn't it?" She asked and he nodded. "Yeah. This is where I can test and perfect all of my inventions" he said with pride. "Feel free to look around children, but please do not touch anything" he warned again. This would be Violet's test, and he secretly hoped she would fail, so he could stop listening to the annoying clacking of her gum, and after the comment her mother directed to him, he couldn't wait to be free of her as well.

He watched Emma drift away from the group and he saw her stop in front of the giant tank where his Oompa Loompas were working on his everlasting gobstoppers. He once again found himself standing at her side. "Hi" he breathed and she turned to face him with that glorious smile. "This place is incredible Mr. Wonka" she beamed and he smiled at her. "Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far" he said and he shifted uncomfortably. "Is everything alright?" She asked as he continued to fidget. "Oh yes, everything's fine" he lied. "I do have a question for you, if I may" he said and she nodded. "Why did you come alone? The ticket said you were allowed to bring someone to accompany you" he asked curious. He saw the light leave her eyes, and her smile faded, and he realized he had said something wrong. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry I just um..." he stumbled trying to retract his question, but she stopped him. "No it's alright, it's just that um..." she trailed off getting quiet and he waited for her to finish. "I came alone, because I am alone" she answered so quietly that if he hadn't been listening, he wouldn't have heard her. He looked at her with questions in his eyes and she continued. "My family always had very little in terms of wealth" she stated and gave a sad smile. "But we had everything we needed, just having each other" and he was puzzled at this. He didn't understand family, but he could see that for some reason it was important to her. So he stayed quiet, and simply listened. "It was always just my parents and me, but last winter was very hard on us, and they got sick." She said, pausing as she took a shaky breath. "They died within a week of each other." She finished sadly, and he didn't know what to say. He didn't understand things like death, love, and family. But he did understand what it was to feel alone. "I'm sorry you're alone" he offered, hoping it was the right thing to say. He had never had to offer comfort to someone before. She gave him a small sad smile. "Thank you." She said softly and cleared her throat and he noticed how she blinked back a few tears. He wondered just how many times she had pushed them back, refusing to let any fall. "Anyway, I managed to get a job at a small candy store, and I've been able to scrape by. That's how I found the ticket. My shift had ended, and instead of taking my tip money to buy some vegetables for dinner, I decided to buy a chocolate bar. And there it was. My golden ticket. The most beautiful ray of hope" she said, and he saw her eyes glass over. He could hardly breathe. He couldn't believe just how much that ticket meant to her. He realized this contest was important to him, but he could never have imagined that it would matter so much to someone else. He tried to process everything she had said. How easily she had opened up to him, and the sadness that seeped into her words. What would he feel if he were in her shoes? He left his family and never looked back. And this girl seemed as though she would trade anything to have just one more moment with hers. It baffled him. He just couldn't understand it. How would he feel, he wondered, if his father had died. All these years he had avoided him, but he knew he was still alive. It was so overwhelming to think about. "Mr. Wonka?" She questioned and he realized he had zoned out. He cleared his throat and gave her a soft smile. "I'm so very glad you're here" he offered, hoping to lighten the mood and remove the dark cloud that now clung to her. "As am I" she whispered.

Just then Violet approached the tank. "What is this Mr. Wonka" she asked watching as the Oompa Loompas dived down retrieving more gobstoppers. As one of them surfaced, he handed one of the gobstoppers to the candy man so that he may show it to the group. He took the candy from the worker and tried to clear his head and focus on the task at hand. "These are everlasting gobstoppers. They're for children with very little allowance money. You can suck on it all year, and it'll never get any smaller" he announced happily, trying desperately to remove the image in his head of her sad eyes. He much preferred the light and happy look she normally wore. When he glanced back at Emma, he realized she had indeed washed off the face of sadness and her normal cheerful face was back. He sighed a breath of relief. "So they're like gum" Violet observed and he rolled his eyes. "No, gum is for chewing. If you tried chewing one of these gobstoppers, you'd break all your little teeth off" he chimed. "They sure do taste terrific" he beamed tossing it back into the tank. He then led them over to another machine. "And this is hair toffee" he exclaimed holding up the candy. "You suck down one of these, and in half an hour, you'll have a brand new crop of hair growing out of your head. And a mustache. And a beard!" He said with excitement and he heard her sweet giggle. "Who wants a beard?" Mike asked with annoyance. He was starting to regret placing Mike's test so far into the day. _I should've gotten rid of him first_, he thought. "Well beatniks for one. Folk singers and motor bike riders. You know, all those hip, jazzy, super cool, neat cats. Can you dig what I'm putting down? Slide me some skin soul brother" he stopped his ramblings and extended his hand, waiting for Mike to, in fact, slide him some skin. When he realized Mike wasn't going to, he slowly pulled his hand back. "My father had a beard" Emma offered, and he caught her sad smile. He realized she was trying to make him feel less embarrassed, and he gave her a soft nod. "Unfortunatly the mixture isn't quite right yet because one of my Oompa Loompas tried it yesterday and..." he didn't have to explain any farther, because at that moment the Oompa Loompa he was referring to stepped out. He heard a small gasp as Emma caught sight of the poor man covered head to toe in long tresses of hair. "Hi, how are you today?" He asked his worker. He received two thumbs up from underneath the mountain of hair. "Well you look great!" He offered, and at that the small man walked away. He always felt guilty whenever his experiments didn't go as planned, and one of loyal workers had to live with the consequences.

He decided it was time to begin Violet's test as he led them over to his new machine. "Watch this" He said giddily as he pulled the lever that put the machine in motion. After several moments, the small stick of gum came out right in front of Violet. "That's it?" Mike asked with annoyance. "Do you even know what _it_ is?" He said with just as much annoyance. "It's gum" Violet stated. "Not just any gum!" He said becoming more and more excited. "This is the most revolutionary piece of gum in the whole world. Know why? Know why?" He teased. "Because this gum is a whole three course meal all by itself" he laughed and he noticed Emma's growing smile. "Why would anyone want that?" Mr. Salt asked. Clearly the man had no imagination. "Who wouldn't want that?" He heard Emma ask aloud. Mr. Salt stared at her and Emma looked down at her feet. Wanting to remove the attention off of Emma, he quickly pulled out some of his cue cards and cleared his throat. "It will be the end of all kitchens and all cooking." He began. "Just one piece of Wonka's magic chewing gum, and that is all you will ever need at breakfast, lunch, and dinner." He continued. "This piece happens to be tomato soup, roast beef, and blueberry pie and ice cream." He finished. As he was reading the cards, he noticed Violet's eyes staring down the gum. It wouldn't be much longer until her resolve broke. "That sounds amazing" he heard Emma's sweet voice say. "It sounds weird" Veruca sneered. "It sounds like my kind of gum" Violet piped in. He watched as she removed the piece she was currently chewing and placed it behind her ear. _Ew, that's disgusting_, he thought to himself. "I'd rather you didn't, there are still one or two things that aren't..." but she cut him off. "I'm the world record holder in chewing gum, I'm not afraid of anything" she said with cocky confidence. He simply rolled his eyes and watched as she placed the gum in her mouth. He saw Emma's eyes widen, remembering what happened in the chocolate room. "How is it honey?" Her mother asked. "It's amazing. Tomato soup I can feel it running down my throat!" She said amazed. "Ha ha, great, now spit it out" he demanded, but she did not listen, as he knew she wouldn't. "Miss. I really think you should listen to Mr. Wonka" Emma offered. She looked at him with alarm, wondering what disaster was about to befall the child. He gave her a reassuring look, and she stepped back, and he knew she would do nothing more to help Violet. "It's changing, roast beef with baked potatoes!" Violet cheered. "Keep chewing kiddo" her mother encouraged. "My daughter is going to be the first person in the world to have a full course chewing gum meal." He knew he shouldn't be surprised, but it baffled him that her dim witted mother was encouraging the child's bad behavior. "Yeah, I'm just a litt bit concerned about the..." He began but Violet interjected. "Blueberry Pie and ice cream!" She shouted and he knew it was over. "That part" he said knowing the girl had failed. "What's happening to her nose?" Veruca questioned. They all watched in horror as Violet turned blue and began to swell up. "She's turning into a blueberry" Emma observed looking to him for confirmation. He gave a simple nod before disappearing behind the machine. He could hear the Oompa Loompas begin their song. He peeked around the machine and watched as Emma gazed at the scene. He couldn't read her expression clearly, but it looked as if she was more amazed than horrified, and he liked that. As the song drew to a close, he crept around behind Violet's mother. "I've tried it on like 20 Oompa Loompas and each one has turned into a blueberry." He gave a nervous laugh. "It's just weird" he said. "But I can't have a blueberry as a daughter. How is she supposed to compete?" She squealed. "You could put her in a county fair" Veruca snickered, glad one more competitor had been removed. He had the Oompa Loompas roll Violet out with her mother in tow behind them. Once they were gone, he exited the inventing room, with his guests following behind him.

"Mr. Wonka, what is going on?" Emma came up to his side as the others trailed behind them down the corridor. "All in good time my dear" he whispered as the others caught up to the pair. "Alright; why did you decide to let people in?" She asked hoping to get a clear answer from this question. "So they could see the factory of course" he said, still not giving too much away. "But why now, and why only five?" She asked. If it hadn't been for her tone of innocence and curiosity, it would have almost sounded like prying, but he knew her imagination was strong, and she was just as curious about the world as he was. "What's the special prize at the end?" Mike asked rudely. "The best type of prize is a sur-prize" he answered and he heard her laugh at his little joke. "Will Violet always be a blueberry?" Veruca questioned and he shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. But that's what happens from chewing gum all day. It's just disgusting." He stated. "If you hate gum so much, why do you make it?" Mike asked. "Uh you really shouldn't mumble, because it bums me out." Willy countered, not caring to give the boy a real explanation and he heard Emma laugh again. _Her laugh is just so...alluring, _he thought to himself. He was convinced that if candy had a sound, it would sound something like her sweet laugh. Thoughts raced through the chocolatier's mind. He wanted her to win very badly, and he was nearly positive she would. But that thought scared him. If she did win, what would it be like sharing his everyday life with her? Would these feelings inside of him begin to make sense, or would the mystery of it all only increase? These thoughts tormented him as he was beginning to get more questions than answers when it came to young Emma._ Of all the things that could have happened today, she was something I could have never imagined, _he thought stealing yet another look at the beauty beside him.


	4. Chapter Four

As the group continued down the long corridor, he noticed how closely he had shifted to Emma's side. He realized his hand was nearly touching hers, and if he wanted to, he could've taken hold of it and entertwined his fingers with hers. He shook the thought away. "Mr. Wonka?" She asked, and he looked at her waiting for her to finish her question. "Do you remember the first candy you ever ate?" She asked and once again he was thrown into a flashback. Picking up the chocolate from the fireplace and popping it in his mouth. Experiencing the first taste of heaven. The thoughts of candy consumed him from then on. The abudence of flavors was all he ever thought about. It filled him with a purpose. And he knew, with that first taste of chocolate, he had found his reason for existing.

"Sorry I was having a flashback" he finally said coming back to reality. "These flashbacks happen often?" Mike's father asked. "Increasingly...today" He answered. He looked back down at Emma and he saw a look of empathy in her eyes. As if she somehow knew what he was feeling and what he was going through. "Ah, now here's a room I know all about" Mr. Salt said bringing him out of his thoughts. He felt just the smallest hint of a grin on his face, knowing that the money hungry business man couldn't resist stopping at this room. Little did Mr. Salt know, stopping here would be the end of the road for his spoilt daughter. "I'm in the nut business myself you see" the man said handing his business card to the chocolatier, who almost immediately threw it away over his shoulder. "Are you using the Havermax 4000 to do your sorting?" The older man asked. He simply laughed and shook his head. "No...you're really weird" he laughed as he pushed open the door to the nut room.

"Squirrels!" Veruca squealed in delight as they entered. "Yeah squirrels" he confirmed. "These squirrels are specially trained to get the nuts out of their shells" he explained. He noticed how Emma's face didn't light up for this room as it had for the previous two. When he looked at her puzzled, she seemed to understand his question without him having to vocalize it. "I um, have a slight fear of rodents. Well, not a fear so much as a dislike for them" she said softly. "Ah I see" he replied, relieved to know it wasn't the room itself that disappointed her, just the animals. "Why not use Oompa Loompas?" Mr. Salt asked. "Because only squirrels can get the entire walnut out every single time. You see how they tap on the shell to see if they have a bad nut?" He replied. Just as he said it, he pointed to one of the squirrels. "Oh look, I think that one has a bad nut!" He exclaimed. Sure enough, the squirrel finished tapping on the shell and threw it over its shoulder where it rolled to a large hole in the middle of the floor and disappeared down the hole.

"Daddy I want a squirrel, get me one of those squirrels!" Veruca demanded and her father tensed. This was not the first time Veruca had rudely demanded something of her father. "Veruca darling, you have many marvelous pets at home" he said, trying to reason with his daughter. He seemed to know it was going to be a futile effort. The child's face began to turn red. "All I've got at home is one pony, two dogs, five cats, six rabbits, two parakeets, two canaries, a green parrot, a turtle, and a silly old hamster! I WANT a squirrel!" By the time the rotten child had finished, her face was beat red, and her hands were balled into tight fists, and her entire body was rigid and stiff. Her father sighed, clearly accepting defeat. "Alright Veruca, as soon as we get home I'll get you a squirrel." He said, hoping that would appease the child. "I don't want just any old squirrel, I want a trained squirrel!" She demanded. Throughout the child's rant, he had noticed how Emma's eyes became a little stormy, a look he had never seen from her before. She didn't seem angry, and not upset, but more..._jealous_, he realized. He remembered how he told her how little her family had in terms of money and how she was just scraping by. He understood then it must've been hard for her to hear someone complaining about the luxuries in their life. "Fine very well. Mr. Wonka, how much for one of these squirrels, just name your price." He said in a business like fashion. "Oh they're not for sale" he answered, watching the fake smile Veruca had offered him disappear. "She can't have one" he finished and Veruca's face once more turned red, he assumed she had never been told _no_ before. "Daddy!" She said stomping her foot. "I'm sorry darling, Mr. Wonka's being unreasonable." He said making his lip pout, mocking both the father and his child. He noticed a smile and small laugh escape from Emma, and Veruca shot her a death glare before looking back to her father. "If you won't get me a squirrel, then I'll get one myself." She declared before climbing through the gate and down the ladder. "Veruca! Veruca come back her at once!" Her father shouted after her. "Uh little girl, don't touch those squirrels, or their nuts, it'll make them crazy!" He tried calling after her, but he knew she was done. He noticed the smile that had once been on Emma's face had vanished. She knew another child was about to have an "accident". He also noticed this time, she wasn't even trying to help save Veruca.

"Do something!" Her father demanded. He swiftly pulled out a large ring of keys from his jacket and began inserting all but the correct one into the gate's lock. He watched the young girl make her way around the lot of squirrels, each rodent turning to stare her down. She finally stopped and looked one straight in the eye. "I'll have you" she exclaimed reaching her arms out towards the creature. He watched silently as the squirrels attacked her and drug her to the middle of the floor. "Veruca!" Her father called with alarm and looked back at him with terror fillled eyes. He simply kept inserting the wrong keys into the lock. "What are they doing to her?" Emma questioned. He gave her a small grin. "They're checking to see if she's a bad nut" he answered as he watched the squirrel she tried to take tap on her head. The creature made a small noise. "Oh my, she is a bad nut" he said, though not surprised. They all watched as the squirrels promptly started dragging her away. "What are they doing!" Her father panicked. "Taking her where all the bad nuts go" he answered and watched as Veruca was thrown down the chute. He heard a small gasp beside of him and he suddenly felt her hands gripping onto his arm. He tensed again at her contact, and looked to see her eyes wide in fear at the disappearance of the child. She must not have realized she had grabbed his arm, and rather than tell her, he let her cling to him. "Where does that chute go?" Mr. Salt demanded. "To the incinerator" he replied with ease and saw Emma's head snap around to look at him with fear, and her grip tightened. "But don't worry, we only light it on Tuesday's" he said, knowing full well that the day was indeed Tuesday. "Today is Tuesday" Mike pointed out, and he felt Emma shudder. "Well there's always the chance they didn't light it today" he said unconcerned. "There is a good chance she's just stuck at the top. So you can just reach in, and pull her out." He said easily. He gave Emma a knowing look before inserting the correct key into the lock, and allowed Mr. Salt to climb down the ladder. As the man climbed down, he heard the Oompa Loompas begin their song. "She'll be alright, won't she?" He heard Emma ask in a hushed voice, and her eyes looked into his with concern. "What do you think?" He asked softly. He saw her relax a little, and she realeased his arm. "I think you've had this planned from the beginning, though I'm not sure how or why. But I know you would never hurt anyone or anything" she said with sincere certainty. He offered her a small smile, but didn't say anything. Instead, he watched as the Oompa Loompas finished their song, and Mr. Salt was knocked down the chute by one of the squirrels. Just then, an Oompa Loompa appeared at his side and tugged on his jacket. He leaned down to hear what the worker had to say, even though he already knew. "Oh wonderful" he said. "I've just been informed that the incinerator is broken, so there should be about three weeks of rotten garbage to break their fall." He said with cheer, and he saw the look of wonder appear in Emma's eyes. "Well that's good news" Mr. Teavee said dryly. "Alright, well let's boogie!" He exclaimed and led them out of the nut room.

"I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, the glass elevator is by far the best way to get around the factory" he informed them as he pressed the button that opened the contraption. "A glass elevator!" She exclaimed and carefully stepped inside beside of him and marveled at his invention. "How very like you, Mr. Wonka" she said quietly and he smiled down at her as Mike and his father entered. "There can't be this many floors" Mike said. "How do you know smarty pants?" He countered and saw Mike roll his eyes. "Besides this isn't just any old up and down elevator. This elevator can go sideways, longways, slantways, and any other ways you can think of" he laughed. "You just press a button and whoosh, you're off!" He said with excitement, and he hit a random button to prove his point. The elevator lurched to the side and they were all thrown against one of the glass sides. He saw Emma steady herself and she looked at him amazed. "Oh look!" He said pointing outside. "Welcome to fudge mountain" He said and saw her mouth drop open as she watched the Oompa Loompas scale the mountain of fudge. One of them caught her eye and waved. She gave the small worker a gentle smile and waved back to him. They continued on, leaving behind the glorious mountain of fudge. "Oh" he said as they approached a room where the Oompa Loompas were sheering brightly colored pink sheep. "I uh would rather not talk about this room" he said turning a little pink. "Cotton candy" she whispered and he nodded to her. "Interesting" he heard her muse. He found himself staring at her once more. Being so close to her, he took note for the first time of how much smaller she was compared to him. He wasn't a very large man, but he was tall and had fairly broad shoulders. She came up to about his shoulder, and her frame was small and slender. His eyes continued traveling down her body. Her slim neck was exposed as were her collar bones and a little of her chest. Her skin looked soft and delicate, just as she was. Her arms were exposed, and just like her cheeks, they were decorated with light brown freckles. Her body, though slim, still had curves, and he took note of how flattering the simple button down dress was on her figure. The dress hit just above her knees, leaving the rest of her slender pale legs on display. He snapped his head back up when he realized he had been examining her far too closely. He had never looked at a woman that way before. And he had to remind himself that, though she was mature beyond her years, she was 17. She was still a child. He couldn't understand why he was looking at her that way in the first place. He didn't know why he had taken such an interest in her from the start.

As he became lost in these thoughts, the elevator jerked suddenly to the right, and she was thrown against him. He caught her in his arms, and as he did, he caught the scent of her dark brown hair. It smelled like vanilla and marshmallows, he observed. Neither of them moved right away. He liked holding her. He liked being close to her. His heart began to beat faster. He looked into her green orbs and she stared back at him. It was like he was in a trance, just staring into those deep eyes. He noticed his eyes had flicked down to look at her lips. They were slightly parted, and they looked like velvet. He flicked his eyes back up to her own, and she slowly moved out of his arms. "Sorry, I wasn't ready for that" she said and smoothed down her dress trying to avoid his eyes. "Oh, no problem, I sometimes get tossed around a bit too, and I ride it everyday" he said nervously. She gave him a soft smile in reply. They continued to pass a few more rooms before Mike suddenly turned to him with a look of disgust. "Why is everything here completely pointless?" He asked with his arms folded across his chest. He didn't know why, but the comment hurt. He knew he didn't care what this obnoxious boy thought, but it still bothered him. "Candy doesn't have to have a point." She answered for him. "That's why it's candy" she said, but instead of looking at Mike, she looked right at him. Her eyes telling him she understood, and that the factory wasn't pointless, but marvelous. He couldn't speak, but she seemed to understand that with his gaze, he was saying _thank you_. "No, this is stupid" Mike fired back at her. "Candy is a waste of time" Mike finsished, and he then knew why the comment hurt so much. He suddenly heard his father's voice, and he was back in his old home. His father, threatening to disown him should the boy follow his dreams, his passion. So he left. He left and never looked back. "Sir?" She said, lightly touching his arm. He cleared his throat "I'm fine" he whispered and she nodded. "I want to pick a room" Mike demanded and he smiled. _Time to get rid of young Teavee,_ he thought. "Go ahead" he smirked and he saw Emma shift uncomfortably; she knew this wasn't going to end well. He watched as Mike scanned the buttons before finally pushing the one labeled_ TV Room_.


	5. Chapter Five

Once the elevator stopped, they all shuffled out and stopped in front of the door to the TV room. "Here put these on" he said, quickly grabbing them all a pair of large glasses. "The light could burn your eyeballs right out of your skull" he said and they all quickly put on the glasses as he opened the door to the bright room. "This is where I'm testing my latest invention: Television chocolate" he said gesturing around the large white room. "One day it occurred to me, if television can take an image and break it up into millions and millions of tiny pieces, send it whizzing through the air, and reassemble it on the other side, why can't I do the same thing with chocolate?" He said. "Why not send a real bar of chocolate through the TV, all ready to be eaten" he exclaimed. "That sounds wonderful" she replied and he smiled. "Sounds impossible" Mike's father said in his dry tone. "That's because it is impossible" Mike said. "You don't know anything about science" Mike continued. "First of all there's a difference between waves and particles, duh! And second the amount of power it would take to convert energy into matter would be like nine atomic bombs" the snobby boy continued. "Mumbler!" He shouted in the boy's face. "Seriously, I can't understand a word you're saying" he finished a little more calmly.

"Bring in the chocolate" he suddenly ordered. He saw Emma's jaw drop as the giant bar of chocolate was carried in by several Oompa Loompas. "That's the largest bar of chocolate I've ever seen" she said amazed. "Well it's got to be real big because you know how on TV you can film a regular sized man, but he comes out looking this tall?" He said gesturing with his fingers the size of how small the man would be. "Well it's the same basic principle" he finished proudly. They watched as the chocolate was placed on the platform, and with the push of a button, was raised into the air, and then suddenly vanished. "It's gone!" She exclaimed. "Yeah, that bar is now being broken up into a million tiny pieces and flying above our heads to be reassembled on the tv" he said with glee. "Come on, let's go check the TV" he said and they rushed over to the screen. Once the Oompa Loompa turned it on, they watched as the bar of chocolate materialized on the screen. "Amazing" she whispered beside of him. "Take it" He said nudging Mike on the shoulder. "It's just a picture on a screen" Mike said, and he shook his head. "Scaredy cat" he retorted before turning his attention to Emma. "You take it" He said softly. She looked from him to the screen, and she slowly stuck her hand through the tv. She gasped a little when her hand went right through and she could feel the bar of chocolate. She brought her hand back, and the giant bar came with her, only now it was at its normal size. She laughed in amazement. "Go on, try it. It'll be delicious. It's the same bar, it's just gotten smaller on the journey. Go on take a bite" he said mimicking biting a piece of the bar. She opened the wrapper carefully, and he watched her take a bite out of the bar. "It tastes wonderful" she declared, giving him a radiant smile and he felt himself blush.

"Now imagine, you're sitting at home and a commercial will flash on the screen. _Wonka's chocolate bars are the best in the world. Don't believe us? Well then reach out, and try one for yourself_" he finished with a wide grin. "Could you send other things, like breakfast cereal?" Mike's father asked. "Do you have any idea what breakfast cereal is made of? It's those curly wooden shavings you find in pencil sharpeners" he answered wrinkling his nose in distaste. "But you could send it, if you wanted to right?" Emma asked. "Of course" he answered. "What about people?" Mike asked, and he knew what was about to happen. "Now why would I send people? They don't taste very good at all" he answered innocently. "Don't you realize what you've invented!" Mike shouted. "It's a tele-porter, the most important invention of all time, and all you can think about is chocolate" Mike continued, and he noticed the look of disgust marked on the boy's face. "Calm down Mike, I think Mr. Wonka knows what he's talking about" the man said, trying to regain control of his son. "No he doesn't!" Mike yelled. "Everyone thinks he's a genius, but he's an idiot!" And again he felt hurt by the comment. The child reminded him of his father, and he suddenly felt very small. "He's not an idiot" Emma fired back raising her voice, and he again saw the stormy look in her eyes. "Look at what he's created, how could you think of him as anything less than a genius?" She questioned. Her voice remained level and calm, but her look was intense. He beamed at her, and he suddenly forgot about the sting the boy's comment had made. "Because a genius wouldn't waste his time on candy" Mike retorted, completely unaffected by her words. "He's an idiot" Mike repeated. "But I'm not" he finished, and the boy ran to the platform. "Uh little boy, don't push my button" he tried to warn, though truly, he was glad the child wasn't going to listen. "Son, get back here!" His father called. They all watched as Mike pressed the button and began to lift off the floor. Emma's eyes grew wide in horror as she realized what was going to happen to Mike. "Mike no, don't!" She yelled after him, and he simply smiled and waved at the group, and then he disappeared. "He's gone" Mr. Teavee whispered horrified. "Quick let's check the TV and see what we find" he said and they all rushed back to the screen.

"I sure hope none of him gets left behind." He said quietly. "What do you mean" his father asked shakily. "Well sometimes only half the tiny pieces find their way" he said giving an anxious laugh. "If you had to pick one half of your son, which half would it be?" He asked curiously, but the boy's father looked mortified. "What kind of question is that!" He squealed. "No need to snap, it was just a question" he said looking back at the screen. He then gestured to the Oompa Loompa holding the remote. "Try every channel, I'm starting to feel a little anxious" he said, and his worker began flipping through channels. "There! There he is" Emma exclaimed pointing to the screen. Sure enough, there was Mike, in one piece, on the screen. Just then the Oompa Loompas began their last song. As they were singing and throwing Mike around on screen, a thought hit him. _She's won_, he thought. He felt his heart swell. She really won. She would be a permanent part of his life. Unless she didn't accept. He felt his stomach drop, and his palms began to sweat. Would she accept? Surely she would. But what if she didn't want to live in the factory with him? What if after everything she had seen today, she wanted nothing more to do with him? _No, no she has to accept_, he thought trying to calm himself.

Suddenly, a loud smack brought his attention back to the screen, and he saw Mike flattened by an Oompa Loompa. "Ew. Somebody grab him" he flinched. Mr. Teavee cautiously reached in and pulled his son out. And just as expected, the boy was a mere few inches tall. "Oh thank goodness, he's completely unharmed" he said relaxing. "Unharmed!" His father shrieked. "What are you talking about, look at him" Mr. Teavee shouted. "Just put me back in the other way!" Mike squealed. He had to stifle a laugh at the boy's new chipmunk voice. "Uh, there is no other way. This is television not telephone, quite a big difference" he smirked. "Well what do you propose to do about it!" His father asked panicked. He wasn't sure why he had to do anything at all. He warned the child, and the boy didn't listen. "Well young men are extremely springy..." he trailed off. Suddenly an idea hit him. "I know! Let's put him in the taffy puller!" He exclaimed with a smile. "Taffy puller!" Mr. Teavee shrieked and he frowned. "Hey that was my idea" and he heard Emma chuckle. "Boy is he going to be skinny" he mused before calling over an Oompa Loompa. "I want you take Mr. Teavee and his son to the taffy puller, ok? Stretch him out" he gestured. He watched as the Oompa Loompas led the two out of the room; leaving him all alone with Emma. "Well, uh, on with the tour" he said quickly discarding his glasses and exiting the room. Emma quickly did the same.

"Right, so how many children are left?" He asked dumbly. He knew it was only her. "It's just me sir" she said softly. He couldn't contain his excitement, all worries of her not accepting his offer completely forgotten. "My dear girl, that means you've won!" He squealed in delight. Without thinking, he wrapped her in his arms, lifted her off the ground, and spun her around. She laughed and her smile covered half of her face. He set her back down, surprised by his action. He suddenly stopped laughing and just looked down at her with a small smile and she did the same. He realized again how close they were, how he still held her to him. He slowly backed away and cleared his throat. "Uh, Yeah, well, we mustn't dilly or dally" he said awkwardly. "There's still so much to do. Fortunately we have the great glass elevator to help..." suddenly he smacked right into the glass. He was then looking up at her wide eyes and her hand over her mouth covering her gasp. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?" She asked as she helped him to his feet. He felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. Rather than answer her question, he went right back to finishing his sentence. "Help speed things along" He chimed stepping inside and she followed silently behind him. "I got to be more careful where I park this thing" he mumbled under his breath and she giggled. He gave her a soft smile before pressing a button. "Up and out?" She asked looking at him curiously. Instead of saying anything he simply nodded as the elevator began to pick up speed as it soared upwards. "Oh my, we're going to have to go much faster or we'll simply never break through" he said with mock worry. "Break through?" She questioned and he gave a large smile. "I've been dying to press that button for years" he said with a mischievous grin and her eyes grew wide as it dawned on her. "You can't possibly mean..." she trailed. "Yeah I do" he laughed. "Up and out!" He continued. "But it's made of glass! Won't it break" she shrieked and he simply continued laughing. As it got faster and closer to the roof, she shrieked and wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head into his shoulder. He stopped laughing and stopped breathing. She clung to him fiercely, and her hair tickled his chin. He hardly noticed that they broke free effortlessly. He didn't notice all of the children and their parents below them exiting the factory. All he could focus on, was Emma at his side, her head still pressed into his velvet jacket.

"Emma" he whispered to her, and he noticed how sweet it was to say her name, and how easily it rolled of his tongue. "You can, uh, look now" he said and she slowly lifted her head. She let out a breath she had been holding and looked around. "Wow, it's amazing up here" she breathed and he watched her as she took everything in. "I'm sorry I doubted you" she whispered. "I should know by now that nothing is impossible when you're involved." She said giving him a smile and he simply stared back, not knowing what to say. "Um, where is your house?" Wanting to say something to fill the silence. She dropped her gaze to the floor in embarrassment. "Um it's that little one on the corner there" she said quietly and pointed. He followed the direction she pointed in and his jaw nearly dropped. There, away from all of the other homes, was a small pile of wood that could hardly qualify as a home. It looked more like a box than a house. He simply nodded, not wanting to make her feel more embarrassed. Carefully, he maunevered the flying elevator down in front of the little house. Once they stepped outside into the cold, he could see just how small and sad the home was. It was in shambles, with holes in the roof and missing pieces of wood in the sides. The door was old and broken, and he had no idea how she was keeping warm during the cold weather. "Um, come on in" she said guiding him inside. There was only one room, with a small bed pressed against the far wall. There were a few wooden chairs in the middle of the room in front of a tiny fireplace. The kitchen area had a broken wooden table, a small bowl of vegetables, and a few pots and pans placed neatly on the corner of the table. Though there wasn't much, he noticed it was clean, and everything neatly in place. "Um, this is it" she said gesturing around. "It's uh, not much" she said looking down at the floor. "I uh, I have some good news to tell you" he said softly and she looked back at him. "The contest, don't you want to know what you've won?" He asked and she smiled. "Yes, yes of course" she said and her smile grew. "You've won the factory" he stated and her jaw dropped. "You can't be serious" she breathed amazed. "I am." He answered. "You see, a few weeks ago I was having my semi annual haircut when I noticed something" he said reflecting upon finding the silver piece of hair. "In one grey hair, I realized I had no one to take over my life's work, no one to continue my legacy" he said and he saw a light bulb go off in her head. "You sent out the tickets to find an heir. And when a child misbehaved, they were eliminated" she said connecting the dots. "Precisely" he agreed. "You set the whole thing up. You tempted the children, to see if they could live up to your expectations" she said slowly and he swallowed hard. He knew how gentle she was, how she had tried to help the children. He could only hope she wasn't angry with him. "Well, it's a very big decision, to decide who to leave my factory to" he said hoping she understood. She gave a soft smile, and he relaxed. "You mean that it's a big decision finding someone to trust?" And he nodded. She knew exactly what he really meant to say. "And I found you" he whispered. "Emma, my offer for you is an opportunity of a lifetime" he said and she looked at him intently. "You can leave all of this behind, and come live with me in the factory. You'll be an apprentice of sorts at first, and then eventually more of a business partner" he said. Her jaw dropped once more at his offer. "Do you accept?" He asked and he held his breath. He saw tears form in her eyes and a smile played across her face. "Yes, Yes I do" she smiled and he released the breath he had been holding. "Good, wonderful, amazing" he chuckled and she laughed.

"Well um, lets waste no time. I'll have the Oompa Loompas move all of your things over to the factory. And I'll see to it that a bedroom is arranged for you, and tomorrow I can begin showing you my trade" he said quickly with excitement. He walked over to the door briskly, ready to get back in the elevator to head home. He glanced back over his shoulder and noticed she hadn't moved. "Is something wrong?" He asked. He saw her looking around the small shack, as if it were the most beautiful place on earth. "This house, even though it's falling apart and in shambles, it's where my parents raised me, where we laughed and cried together, and where they last said they loved me." She whispered. He nodded with sympathy. Though he didn't fully understand, he knew it was hard for her to let go. "Well then it should come with you" he offered and she locked eyes with him. "What do you mean?" She asked. "I'll have the Oompa Loompas bring the entire house back to the factory, and it can sit right in the meadow of the chocolate room" he offered and his heart nearly burst at the sight of her smile. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck and embraced him in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you so much Mr. Wonka" she breathed and he shuddered as her breath tickled his ear. He held her close to him and he could feel her heart beating in her chest. She pulled away from him and their eyes met. "Willy" He said and grinned at her. "Call me Willy" he continued and she smiled. "Thank you, Willy" she said and he felt an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of his stomach at the sound of his name leaving her lips. "Well, lets head back then shall we" he offered quickly and led her back to the elevator. As they flew back to the factory, the smile never left Emma's face. Suddenly, all of those fears and worries crept back into his mind. He hadn't shared his days with anyone in so long. He hadn't really worked with anyone in years, and he certainly didn't know what it was like to live with a girl under his roof. She would be 18 next month, and then she wouldn't be just girl anymore. She would be a woman. He would have a woman living with him. The thoughts suddenly made him very anxious, and she seemed to notice his distress. "Willy, are you ok?" She asked. At the sound of her saying his name, he relaxed a little. "Fine" he answered. He didn't know what was going to happen in the days to come. He was just going to have to be surprised.


	6. Chapter Six

Willy's eyes snapped open as the memory of that day faded away. He looked around and realized he must have managed to walk back to his bedroom, and he wondered how long he had stayed glued outside of her room staring at her door the past night. Light was streaming in through his windows, and a breakfast tray had been placed beside his bed, just as it had every morning since Emma arrived a month ago. He smiled as he stretched his long arms and sat up in bed. He swung his legs out of bed and his feet hit the plush carpet of his room. He wheeled the large cart with the tray on it directly in front of him and found the note on top. He smiled as he picked it up. Every morning, Emma would wake up early and prepare him breakfast and leave a little note on top of the tray. She told him it was something her mother always did for her, and she wanted to do it for him as a way of saying thank you. He opened the note and laughed at the little sketch. It was two swordfish in pirate hats fighting one another. At the bottom was her neat cursive writing. _"Had an idea for a new candy fish"_ and he smiled. When he opened the tray, he saw a mountain of pancakes with the candy swordfish scattered around the plate. They were light blue like the ocean, and when he popped one into his mouth he savored the taste. They were sweet and salty, much like the sea itself. He realized she must have stayed up late in the inventing room getting these ready for him to try. She never ceased to amaze him with the creative yet subtle things she came up with. Her flavors were always spot on, and her ideas were charming and inviting. And she was an amazing cook, something he rather enjoyed as he dug into his breakfast.

He wondered if she had even been in her room when he had planned to knock on her door. He swallowed a bite of pancake rather hard as the reality washed over him. Every night for the past week he had stood outside of her door, his fist raised ready to knock, but every morning he woke up in bed with the knowledge that he never summoned the courage to knock. He didn't know what he would say if he actually did and she opened the door. But the feelings he felt when he first met her had only grown since she had moved in. They spent practically every minute together. They worked non stop, and they laughed and got along wonderfully. His candy had been selling better than ever, and having her around made him feel so much lighter and happier. He didn't understand it, but he knew he needed to talk to her about it. He knew he had to tell her what he felt, even if he didn't understand it himself. But what they had, their friendship, was so good and if he told her, would that all change? He pushed the thoughts away. He didn't want to deal with them, not today. Today was too special and too much of a celebration to be plagued by tormenting thoughts. Today was Emma's 18th birthday, and he had a grand surprise in store for her.

He finished his breakfast and got ready for the day. He fixed his hair, so that not a strand was out of place. He selected a simple dark green dress shirt, with a black button down vest and his black dress pants and shoes. And he topped the look off with his signature top hat and dark red velvet jacket. Taking one more look in the mirror, he grabbed his cane and walked out of his room. The first thing he saw when he walked out was Emma's beautiful face. Her room was directly across the hall, and she had stepped out at the same time he did. He felt his breath being taken away by her. She had on a simple white sundress with spaghetti straps and little red cherries decorated the dress. The neck line was scooped and he noticed it plunged a little farther down than her usual attire. Like all of her dresses, it hit just above the knees, leaving her pretty legs on display. She had on her usual simple black flats, but her hair was curled framing her face and he noticed she had a little makeup on today. She never wore makeup, he had only seen her wear it the day of the contest. But today she had on a little mascara, some blush, and a little lipgloss; so her naturally red lips looked especially soft. She looked beautiful. She always did, but today she was glowing. "Good morning Wil" she said softly and he smiled at the nickname she had given him. He liked when she called him Wil. It was something only she did, that he shared only with her, and that thrilled him. "Good morning Emma" he said and he tried to keep his eyes on hers instead of letting them roam over her body, a habit that was becoming more and more frequent. "Happy Birthday" He said softly and her smile grew. "You remembered" she said and he nodded. "How could I forgot my favorite apprentice's birthday?" He teased and she laughed. "I'm you're only apprentice Wil" she said and he smiled. "You would be my favorite even if I had one hundred apprentices" and she laughed at his exaggeration.

"Alright, shall we?" She asked as she headed for the glass elevator. "Oh, um actually, we aren't going to be working in the inventing room today" he said and she nodded. "Oh alright, which room then?" She asked as they stepped inside. "A room you haven't been to yet" he said and she saw a mischievous look in his eyes. "I thought you showed me all of the rooms?" She questioned and he grinned pressing a button that she had never noticed before. "Has that always been there?" She asked and when he didn't answer, she knew it hadn't. "Wil, what are you up to?" She asked and he smirked at her. "All in good time my dear" was all he said in response. The elevator took off to the left, and off they went. "So, how does it feel?" He asked her and she looked at him puzzled. "To be 18. An adult?" He asked and she gave him a small smile. "I don't know" she answered honestly. "So many amazing things have happened to me this past month, a birthday seems so small compared to everything else". He didn't know what to think of that. He wanted her to enjoy her special day. As if reading his mind, she gave him a grin. "But to be spending my birthday in paradise is pretty amazing" she said and he smiled relieved. "Well, I think you'll have an excellent birthday" he said giving her a knowing look.

Just then the elevator came to a stop. He saw her look around confused. The outside was pitch black. There was just a sliver of lighting enough to see in front of them. He stepped out of the elevator and she followed close behind. "I, I can't see anything" she said squinting into the darkness. "You will" he reassured her. Suddenly, there was a burst of bright light from above them and the room was illuminated. He heard her take in a sharp breath. The ceiling was a rich navy blue decorated in bright white glowing stars that made it look identical to a beautiful night sky with a giant moon hanging down from the center acting as the main light source. There was a crystal clear lake in the center with a large weeping willow on its bank. The lake was surrounded by soft pink roses everywhere, giving the room a most delicious smell. There were large marble stepping stones that cut through the grass of the meadow, creating path ways to the lake and the white bridge that arched across the center of the water. Beyond the lake was a small hill with a large white baby grand piano and twinkling lights hung down from the ceiling surrounding the instrument. "I can't believe it, this is, this is the most beautiful place I've ever seen!" She gasped. "Do you like it?" He asked shyly. "I don't know what to say, this is just so...incredible!" She exclaimed. "Happy birthday" he told her and she looked at him. "This is for me?" She asked in disbelief. "I wanted you to have a place of your own. Something that wasn't about candy, just a peaceful place to be alone with your thoughts and to relax" he said and he saw tears well up in her eyes. "I remember you told me that you loved listening to your mother play piano when you were little, and how your father used to take you to a lake in the evening so you could look at the stars" he said softly explaining why he included what he did in the room.

At that moment he saw a single tear slide down her cheek. He had never seen her cry, and she quickly wiped it away. "I'm sorry, if you don't like it I can..." he started but she stopped it. "Wil, I love it" she whispered and she flung herself into his arms embracing him in a tight hug. "Thank you" she whispered and he hugged her back. She pulled away from him and looked at the piano across the room. "I haven't played since I was a child. We had to sell ours when I was 6 to help pay the bills" she said quietly. "Well, what are you waiting for" He teased and he smiled down at her. She slowly made her way across the meadow, and he followed silently behind her. She ran her fingers across the keys before lowering herself onto the bench. He stood back and watched her. She was surrounded by the soft twinkle lights, and in her white dress, she looked very much like an angel. She carefully pressed her fingers down onto the keys, and she began to play. It was a beautiful melody. Simple and pretty, delicate and soft. Just like Emma was. He sat down crossed legged in the grass and listened to her play. After a minute or two he heard her start to sing, and he nearly stopped breathing. Her voice was so pure and clear. The words she sang were beautiful and endearing. When she finished, he jumped to his feet in applause. She laughed a little before standing to give him a small curtsy. "That was marvelous, absolutely terrific!" He cheered. "Thank you. My mom taught me that one, I can't believe I remembered it" she said as she walked down the hill to stand in front of him. "Thank you Wil, this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me" she said and he smiled. "It was my pleasure" he told her. She smiled and laughed as she looked around the room once more.

"I wish they could see this" she whispered, her voice suddenly sad. He never knew what to do or say when she brought up her parents. He had a problem with families, and the very idea of them always bummed him out. But he could see how much she missed them, and it bothered him that she was upset. "They would've loved it here" she continued, lost in thought. "Why does it hurt so much?" He asked. He hadn't even realized he had said it out loud until she turned and met his gaze. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that" he quickly stated. "It's alright. I don't know how to explain it" she mused. "They were love." She whispered. "They were comfort, and kindness, and understanding. They were all of the good things in the world." She continued. She looked back at him and saw his blank look and confused stare. "You don't understand, do you?" She asked softly. "No" he answered honestly shaking his head. "What was your mother like?" She asked and he shook his head. "I don't know. I never got a chance to meet her. She died when I was a baby" he told her. "And your father?" She asked. He saw an image of the stern man flash before his eyes and he shook it away. "I don't speak to him. I haven't since I was a child" and he saw her eyes grow stormy. A look he hadn't seen from her since the contest. "Your father is alive, and you don't see him?" She asked and he noticed the hurt in her voice. "He didn't want anything to do with my life. The choices I made. He hated chocolate, discouraged me from going after my dream. I was a waste of time to him" he said sadly and she gapped at him before taking hold of his arm. "You and I both know that isn't true." She said fiercely and it frightened him. "I would give anything to see my father again Wil, and one day your father won't be here. Make things right before it's too late" she said with such fervor it shook him. "I can't talk to my father! Especially alone!" He argued. "Who says you have to go alone?" She asked and he saw the tenderness return to her eyes. "I couldn't ask you to do that" he said. "You didn't ask, I offered" she replied and he could only stare at her. "Let's go see your father" she said and he looked at her alarmed. "Now?" He exclaimed and she nodded. "But it's your birthday!" He argued. "If you really want me to have the perfect birthday, then you'll go talk to him" she insisted. He looked at her intently and realized she wasn't going to give this up. He took a shaky breath. "Let's go see my father".


	7. Chapter Seven

_'Dr. Wilbur Wonka D.D.S' . _Willy stared at the sign for what seemed like forever. "I can't do this Emma" he whispered finally breaking the silence. He felt a reassuring hand touch his shoulder. "Yes you can. He's your father. And he's probably spent all of these years alone and missing you, just like you have" she whispered and he looked at her stunned. "I never said that I..." He started but she cut him off. "You didn't have to. I know you miss him. Because if you didn't, you wouldn't think about him as much as you do, and you wouldn't have all of your flashbacks" she pointed out and he looked at her dumbfounded. How could she see inside of his mind so easily? "Ok" he finally whispered before turning his attention back to the door, and with a shaky breath, he knocked. They waited there in silence for a few short moments before the door opened. Dr. Wilbur Wonka stood before them, and Willy noticed the man looked exactly the same as he did all of those years ago. The man seemed confused as to why the two were on his doorstep, and Willy realized his father didn't recognize him. He tried to form words, he tried to say something, but he couldn't. "Do you have an appointment?" The man finally asked and still Willy could get nothing out. "I'm afraid not sir, but he's overdue" Emma answered, realizing Willy was in too much shock to say anything. The man just nodded and led them inside.

"Well let's see what the damage is shall we" He said as Willy took a seat in the dental chair. As his father began the examination, Emma looked around the room. She saw a framed picture of Willy when he was a child and she smiled at the boy with a helmet and braces. She noticed the walls were covered in different newspaper articles all involving the famous chocolatier. She had been right. His father had never stopped loving him. "I haven't seen bicuspids like these since..." Emma turned her attention back to the older man and she saw the recognition dawn on him. "Willy?" He questioned sitting back in his chair. "Hi Dad" Willy answered softly and Emma smiled. "All these years, and you haven't flossed" and Emma gave a small laugh. "Not once" his son replied. His father leaned in and gave Willy a tentative hug. Willy didn't know what to do. It felt awkward hugging his father, but he hugged him back, and he felt a little more at ease. Emma had been right. He had missed his father. Suddenly, he felt terrible for all of the years he wasted. He finally pulled away and looked at his father. "I'm sorry" Willy whispered, and he noticed the tears in the man's eyes. "So am I" He said. His father hugged him again, and this time, there was no hesitation on either side. He saw Emma standing in the corner of the room and noticed her hand covering her smile and tears of joy were in her eyes.

"Dad" Willy said as he pulled away. "I'd like to introduce you to Emma Mason. My apprentice" he said, but he knew she was so much more than that. "And my friend" he added shyly and she smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir" she said as she walked over and extended her hand to the man. "It's very nice to meet you Emma, please call me Wilbur" he said taking the young girl's hand. "It was Emma that got me to come here today" Willy said and his father smiled before looking back at Emma. "How can I ever thank you?" He asked and she shook her head. "Knowing that Wil has his father back and you have your son, that's thanks enough for me" she said. "Well, uh, why don't we all go into the kitchen and have some evening tea" Mr. Wonka offered. Willy nodded and Emma smiled. "That sounds lovely" she said and they followed Wilbur into the kitchen.

"So I take it Emma is the winner from your big contest?" Mr. Wonka asked his son as he poured them all a cup of tea. "Uh yeah. And she's been great at helping me invent new candy" he said awkwardly. Emma seemed to notice he was struggling. She knew how awkward he was in new situations, and how it had taken him a while to adjust to her. "You should see the factory your son has created. He's a genius, and he's extremely passionate about what he does" she offered placing a hand on Willy's arm trying to relax him. "I always knew he would do great things" his father mused. At this, Willy felt pride swell in his heart. It was the first time he had ever heard his father say anything like that. "Willy" his father started setting down his cup. "I was extremely tough on you as a child. Losing your mother, was very difficult for me" he said and Willy saw his father searching for the right words. "I hardened my heart. And I thought by being stern with you, it would make you a strong man. But I realized, all it did was push you away" and the man's eyes became cloudy. "I wasn't the parent I should have been. And I was afraid if I reached out after all these years, you would reject me, and I couldn't handle losing you again." He said. Willy listened intently, hardly believing the words he was hearing. He saw Emma's face soften, and he saw the look of empathy in her eyes. "I just, I want you to know how proud I am of you son" his father finished, and he placed his hand on top of his son's. "I love you dad" Willy whispered. The words came out before he even processed them. He did love his father. And all he ever wanted was his approval, and now he had it. "I love you too son" his father whispered and Emma watched in happiness.

They spent another hour in the cozy home. They laughed and talked, as if the past years of loniless never existed. It was like they had always been a family. And Willy noticed how easily Emma fit into that family. In fact, she was a part of it now. She was the reason he was here, and happier than he had ever been in his life. All too soon, he noticed it had gotten very late, and he knew it was time to head home. "Dad, I would love it if you would come to the factory sometime" he offered as his father walked them to the door. "I'd love that too son" he said and Willy smiled. "Great, uh, just call anytime and you can come over" he said and his father smiled giving him one last hug. "Emma, my dear, it was wonderful to meet you" He said bringing Emma into a hug. "The pleasure was mine Wilbur" she said returning his embrace. "And thank you, for everything you've done for my son" he whispered in her ear. She pulled away and gave him a soft smile. "I'll see you soon" he told her and they waved goodbye before heading out into the street.

When they had left the factory, it had been in the afternoon and they had decided to walk instead of taking the elevator. It was now dark, and it had gotten a little colder, and the street lamps illuminated the sidewalk. They walked together in silence for a moment and he noticed how she pulled her cardigan closer to her. "Are you cold?" He asked looking at her. "Only a little" She said smiling. He took off his elaborate velvet coat and draped it over her shoulders and he saw her blush. "Thank you" she said and they fell back into a comfortable silence. "So, did you enjoy your birthday?" He asked after a moment. "It was the best birthday I could have ever had" she said with a bright smile. "I'm glad" he replied. "Emma" he said and she looked back at him. "Thank you" He said. "I didn't realize how much I had missed him, until tonight" he told her. "You're welcome" she answered. "Emma" he said again and she noticed how serious he was being. He took a deep breath. He had to tell her. He had to tell her how he felt. But what did he feel? He felt happy when she was with him. He felt at ease. He felt lost when she wasn't around, like a part of him was missing. He felt like she completed him. He felt like she was the only person who really understood him. "Emma I..." He started, but he couldn't do it. "You what, Wil?" She asked curiously. "I really like your candy fish idea" he finished and he wanted to smack himself. "Oh" she said quietly. "Um, good I'm glad you liked them" she said numbly. "I want to start work on them first thing in the morning, if that's alright with you?" He asked and she nodded. "Of course Wil" she said with a smile. But her smile was different. It seemed sad, and that bothered him. Why was she sad?

When they arrived back at the factory, he walked her to her room in silence. "Thank you for your jacket" she said quietly, and handed it back to him. "Of course" he nodded taking it from her. "And thank you for the amazing day" she said with a smile. "I'm glad you liked it" he said. He looked into her green eyes and felt hyponostized by them. He just stood there, staring at her, and she didn't move. His gaze flickered from her eyes to her lips. They looked so soft and inviting. He had never wanted to kiss someone before. Not until now. He saw her gaze shifting from his eyes to his lips and back. "Wil" she whispered and he snapped out of his trance. He cleared his throat and brought his eyes back to her own. "Goodnight Emma" he said and quickly turned away and secured himself in the safety of his room. He closed the door and banged his head against the wood. He squeezed his eyes shut and balled his hands into tight fists. What was happening to him? All of a sudden, candy was no longer the only thing he thought about. The first thing he pictured when he woke up was her. The last thing he thought about before bed was her. His entire day, all he could focus on was her laugh, her smile, her eyes, the touch of her hand. His candy had been better than ever, because he was happier than ever. But he had no idea how to tell her. He couldn't even admit it to himself. He was scared and confused. These were feelings and thoughts he had never dealt with. His only love was candy. _Or could I love something, **someone**, else _he thought to himself. He shook his head. It was too overwhelming. It was too much to think about. So he pushed the thoughts away. He quickly changed out of his day clothes and put on his silk pajamas. But he found he couldn't get to sleep. He paced and paced around his room. All he could see was her.

He felt himself being thrown into another flash back, this one was just a week ago. They had finished their work early that day, and he had gone to see his receptionist about a new shipment of chocolate taffy. He decided after that he would take a stroll through the meadow of the chocolate room to clear his mind. When he arrived, he noticed her sitting by the river with a book in hand. He found out shortly after she had moved in that she loved to read, and he often saw her sitting in some corner with a book in hand. He walked up behind her quietly before making himself known. "What are you reading?" He asked and she jumped. "Oh, you scared me!" She laughed and he grinned. "Sorry" He said with a giggle. "It's _Jane Eyre_" she said showing him the cover. He just stared at it. He couldn't remember the last time he had read anything. "It's uh my favorite book." She continued. "A couple years ago during Christmas time, I kept talking about how I would love to own a book. One that was mine and I could keep" she said. "My father found some money on the street that someone must have dropped. And instead of using it for food or something for the house, he bought me this book" she said clutching it tighter in her hands. "And on Christmas morning, he gave it to me" she finished with a smile. "Could you read some to me?" He asked like a small child and she gave him a wide smile. "Of course" she said and patted the grass next to her. He sat down beside of her and she opened the book to a random page. "_Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear. Your mind is my treasure, and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still_" she read softly. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest, and he was sure she could hear it. The words of the book seemed to mimick how he felt about her. He sat there, content to just listen to the sound of her voice as she read from her beloved book.

He shook himself out of the memory. _I'm hopeless_, he thought to himself as he sat on the edge of his bed. He finally laid down and stared up at the ceiling, trying to stop his racing mind. Finally, the exhaustion of the day caught up with him, and he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

_"Don't go" he pleaded. "I have to Willy" she said, a vacant expression on her face. "Please, I need you" he cried. They were in the pitch black. She was glowing, in a long red dress. He was normal; in his normal attire. She was floating away from him, and every time he got close and reached out to her, she floated farther away. "Do you love me Willy?" She asked in a monotone voice. "I, I don't know what I feel!" He cried. He was distressed. He was confused. The words he wanted to say were there in his heart, and on the tip of his tongue, but his mind wouldn't let him say it. "You have to tell me, or I have to go" she replied and she started to fade away. "No, no please don't go, I...I" He panicked. He could hardly see her now, she had nearly evaporated. "I LOVE YOU" he screamed, but he was too late, and he knew he was too late. She was gone. "EMMA!" He cried falling to his knees. "EMMA! EMMA!" _

"Willy wake up!" His eyes shot open, and he felt himself being shook. Her hands were tight on his shoulders, and her eyes were wide with concern. "Emma" he whispered, as his body trembled. "Shhh, it's alright. You were having a nightmare" she said calmly. He tried to sit up, but she gently pushed him back down. "Easy, easy." She whispered. "I heard you screaming, so I came over" she said gently and he noticed she was still in her nightgown. It had puffy white sleeves with baby pink trim, and it buttoned down the front. He also noticed it was much shorter and more revealing than he normal clothes. He then noticed how sweaty and clamy he felt. She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, and her cool skin felt good against his own. "Wil, you're burning up" she said concerned. "Probably from walking around outside in the cold" she mused. "I'll get some of the Oompa Loompas to get you some medicine." She said. He watched her walk outside, and in a few moments she was back with a white cloth and a basin of water. "This should help a little" She said sitting on the bed. She dipped the cloth into the cold water and wrung the excess water out. "Here" She said placing the cold cloth on his forehead. "Now you just sit here and try to get some rest. Your medicine should be ready in the morning" she said calmly. He gave her an uneasy smile. "Thank you Emma" he said softly and she nodded. She stood and walked back to the door. "Get some sleep Wil" she said softly before exiting. He knew he wasn't sick at all. He was just that bothered from his dream. "I can't lose her" he whispered out loud. And he knew that if he didn't tell her soon, eventually he would. She would move on in life. She would find someone else. The thought of her with anyone other than himself made him sick at his stomach. He would talk to her. He had to.


	8. Chapter Eight

**_Hello all! This is the final chapter of the story, thank y'all for reading! I'm leaving the rating as T, but it does get a little mature in this chapter. Nothing too crazy, I tried to keep it PG-13, but if you guys think I should change the rating, let me know. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you like the ending! _**

When Willy awoke the next morning, his breakfast tray was beside of his bed, along with a vile of medicine. He groaned as the events from the night before came flooding back to him. He hardly slept at all. Every time he closed his eyes, that dream replayed. He sat up and pulled the cart to him and grabbed the note on the top. "_Wil, the Oompa Loompas put together a medicine for you. I hope you're feeling better_". He put the note aside, and even though he wasn't sick, he drank down the medicine. It tasted vile. He didn't know what the little men put in it, and after tasting it, he didn't _want_ to know. She had prepared him a heaping bowl of porridge with some eggs and toast. It tasted wonderful, as it always did. After he had finished, he went to his closet to get ready for the day. His outfit was nearly the same everyday, just with a different undershirt. Today, he decided on a dark maroon dress shirt. Once he was ready, he grabbed his cane and left the room. He assumed Emma was probably already in the inventing room working on her candy fish. He took a few deep breaths before getting into the elevator. _Today's the day_, he thought to himself. He wasn't sure when he was going to tell her, or even what he would say. He reasoned that if he didn't think about, perhaps it would just happen naturally.

When he stepped into the inventing room, he smiled as he saw her sketching something on a piece of paper with an Oompa Loompa. "Good morning" he said as he walked up to her. She looked up and gave him a small smile. His face fell. Her smile looked different. It still looked sad. "How are you feeling" she asked him quietly. "I, uh feel fine. Thank you for your help last night" he said and she nodded before looking back down at her sketch. "Emma, is everything alright?" He asked. "Of course, why wouldn't it be?" She asked him, not looking up from her work. "You seem sad" he said softly. She looked back up and gave him a soft smile. "My dear Wil, whatever gave you that idea" she said trying to brush off his observation. "Come on, lets get to work" she said picking up her papers. He simply nodded deciding not to push the matter. "So the fish I made for you were just a test run, I think we can go farther with the detailing and the flavor" she said and before he knew it, they became emerged in their work. They worked seamlessly together. They bounced ideas of off each other, and finished each other's thoughts. If he got stuck on something she would fill in the blanks, and he would do the same for her. She was incredibly smart, something he discovered quickly when she had moved in. She knew what ingredients mixed well together and she knew what to add to get the best flavors. Finally, they finished. The little piece of candy looked like a real swordfish, and the flavor was wonderful.

"Perfect" He said excitedly. "We'll have to get these launched right away!" He stated. She gave him a little nod and a small smile. He looked at her puzzled. Usually she was just as excited as he was when they perfected something new. "Emma, what's wrong?" He asked her and she shook her head. "I'm sorry Wil, I just don't feel like myself today, I must have eaten too much candy or something" she lied. "Emma" he tried again and she shook her head once more "Really, I'm fine" she said giving him a sad smile. "Ok" he said and he could hear the hurt in his own voice. She had always been so open and honest with him, and he didn't know why she was acting so different today. She realized she must have upset him and she sighed. "Wil, I promise I'm ok, please don't be upset" she said resting her hand on his shoulder. He simply nodded. "Ok well um, it's getting pretty late, I think I'm going to head to the kitchen and make dinner. Anything you want me to make you?" She asked and he shook his head. "No, no I'm fine" he said. He watched her stand and head toward the door. He had never felt more defeated in his life. He saw her stop at the door and suddenly she turned around to look at him. She briskly walked back across the room and stopped in front of him "Do something Wil" was all she said. He stood slowly from his chair and looked at her intense eyes. Did she feel what he felt? He was so lost and confused. He didn't move, and when he didn't, she gave him a defeated look and walked back out the door.

So there he was again. His fist raised trying to knock on her door. After she had left him in the inventing room, he realized how stupid he had been. She had practically told him she had feelings for him, and he could only stand there. Why didn't he tell her what he felt? How did everything get so complicated? He wasn't good at this, that much he knew. But she made him better. She could fix him. So he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and knocked. He couldn't believe it. He actually knocked. He stood there and waited in anticipation. He began to feel nervous when she didn't immediately answer the door. But it was late, perhaps she was just asleep. After all, it was nearly midnight. He was just getting ready to knock again, when he saw the door knob turn. _This is it_, he thought. She opened the door, and he lost his breath. She was wearing the same nightgown from before, but this time, he could really see and take her in. He noticed how low cut it was, and how short it was, the hem grazing the middle of her thigh. Her bare arms were on display, and she looked so soft. "You knocked" she whispered and he heard the disbelief in her voice. "Um yes I did, may I come in?" He asked, puzzled by her curious greeting. She nodded slowly and moved aside to let him into her room.

He took a moment to look around. He hadn't been in the room since she had moved in. A small pink lamp was lit on her dresser. A small table and chair were placed in the corner, and there was a large stack of books and notepads on it along with a jar of pens and pencils. Her bed was still neatly made, so she clearly hadn't settled in for the night yet. "I can't believe you really knocked" she whispered shutting the door behind her. It suddenly dawned on him that she knew. "You, you knew that I, um that I had..." he trailed off not sure what to say. She blushed and looked down at the carpet. "There were nights that I had snuck back down to the inventing room to work on an idea or two, and when I would come back, I would see you standing in front of my door. You looked like you were in a trance, with your eyes zoned out and your fist raised. I would wait until you left before coming into my room" she confessed. He felt heat rise in his cheeks. She had known this whole time. "You've stood outside of my door a lot, and never knocked. Even when I was in my room, I would hear you leave your room and then see your shadow under my door, so I knew you were there. And tonight you actually knocked" she said amazed. He took a moment to process this information. She had known, and never said anything. As if reading his mind, she continued. "I wanted to let you come to me when you felt ready. When you understood what you felt, but the truth is, I'm getting tired of waiting" she whispered. Still, he couldn't say anything. He just looked at her with wide unbelieving eyes. "Wil, say something" she begged. "Why were you sad today?" He asked softly. She stared down at the floor avoiding his gaze. "Because I care about you" she finally said and his heart nearly burst. "I have struggled with my feelings since we met, and I thought you felt it too. But last night when you walked away, and then today when I asked you to do something and you didn't, I don't know I just..." she said never once looking up at him. But all he really understood, was that she felt the same way he did. All this time, she had been just as unsure and confused as he had. Well not anymore.

"I love you, Emma" he said breaking the silence. The words were out. He nearly stopped breathing. He had finally admitted it to himself and to her. Her head shot up and her eyes were wide with shock. "What did you say?" She whispered, not believing her own ears. He took a few steps toward her, until they were only a few inches apart. "I love you" He said again with a smile, and she stood there with her jaw dropped. "I didn't understand things like love, until I met you. I didn't know what it was that I felt or how to say it. All I had ever thought about was candy, but then you came into my life and now, well now I've found something sweeter than candy" he said and a huge grin washed over his face. "I love you too" She whispered, and it was his turn to stand speechless.

He realized then just how close they were, and he took a hesitant step forward and closed the space between them. He noticed her breathing was just as fast and uneven as his own. She was as nervous as he was. This was uncharted territory for both of them. He slowly wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. Their faces mere inches apart. "Willy" she whispered, her eyes looking down at his mouth. _She called me Willy_, he thought. _Not Wil, or Mr. Wonka. **Willy**_. He saw her eye lids close and he leaned forward. His lips brushed against hers, and fireworks went off inside of him. He pressed his lips fully to hers, and he was certain he had never tasted anything so sweet. Her lips tasted of strawberries and chocolate, a combination he was most fond of. He brought his right hand up and caressed her cheek and pulled her as close to him as he could. After a moment they broke away. He still held her face in his hand and he moved the stray pieces of hair away from her face. "Stay" she whispered, and he knew what she was asking.

He had never been in an intimate situation, and he was nervous, but he didn't want to leave. He liked touching her, he liked their closeness. And he wanted more. She pulled away from him and walked over to the dresser and turned off her lamp. The room was bathed in moonlight coming in from her window, and her skin looked like it had a glow to it. She walked back over to him, and he caressed her cheek. "You're so beautiful" he whispered and she blushed. His other hand began to stroke her arm, savoring the soft touch of her skin. He leaned in and kissed her again. This kiss had more passion than the first. Her mouth moved against his, and his right hand reached up and tangled in her hair. He didn't know why, but he wanted to explore more of her. He felt his tongue slide across her lips, and she opened her mouth. She tasted sweet, and he rather liked the sensation. He stopped kissing her mouth and decided to move down. He kissed her jaw and trailed hot kisses down her neck and then to her collar bone, and she grabbed his shoulders pulling him closer to her. His left hand ran up and down her exposed leg, and he couldn't believe how soft her skin was. When he pulled away, they were breathing heavily and he knew there was more to come.

He didn't know what he was doing or what had come over him. He was still nervous and still very naive. But he trusted her, and so far, everything just seemed to flow seamlessly. They stood looking at each other, both knowing they wanted more, but unsure how to go about it. She carefully brought her hands up to his shoulders and slowly helped him remove his velvet coat. She tossed it to the side and started undoing the buttons on his vest. He felt his breathing become more rapid and he noticed how her hands trembled at the buttons. "I've never done this before" he blurted out and she looked up at him. "Neither have I" she confessed and they stared at each other. Willy began to feel very panicked and she seemed to notice. "We can stop" she offered and he shook his head. "It's not that, it's just..." he stopped not knowing what the right words were. "What?" She asked and he gave her a sad look. "I'm just a chocolatier" he said weakly. "I'm odd, and awkward, and bad with people" he said and he all of sudden became very self conscious. "Willy" she said. "You are odd" she smiled. "And you're wonderfully awkward. You're an incredible chocolatier, and you're not as bad with people as you think" and he blushed. "But more importantly, you're kind." She said softly. "You're honest, and loyal. You're passionate and you're driven" she continued. "And tonight, you're a man" she whispered and locked eyes with him. "You're the man that I love" she said with conviction.

Instead of saying anything he kissed her again, letting his fingers roam over her body. When they broke apart, she went back to work unbuttoning his vest. She threw it to the side where his coat was and started working on the buttons of his shirt. She undid them slowly, and his eyes watched her as she did. He still felt nervous and he could tell she did too. Once it was unbuttoned, she opened it up and he heard a small gasp come from her lips. She slowly pulled the material off of his broad shoulders and examined his toned frame. She was stunned to say the least. She slowly ran her hands over his abs and he shuddered at her touch. He loved feeling her touch him. She marveled at how incredible he looked. For a man so obsessed with candy, his body was in excellent shape, something she would have never guessed. She brought her hands up to his shoulders and pressed her lips against his neck. He closed his eyes and moaned at the contact as he put his hands around her waist and pulled her close to him. She stopped kissing his neck and undid the button and zipper of his dress pants and slid them down off of his legs. Once she was done, he quickly removed his socks and kicked off his dress shoes, so that he stood in only his boxers. He had never been so exposed before. He felt self conscious and awkward. But as he watched how her eyes took in his body, he began to relax. She shifted back and forth for a minute before saying "Your turn" in a hushed voice. Without saying a word he started to slowly undo the buttons on her night dress.

His hands trembled as he watched her chest rise and fall quickly. She was scared. Not of him, and not because she didn't want this, but of being seen. Really seen before a man. She had never been with a man before. In fact, when he kissed her, it was her first kiss. She loved him more than anything, but she was still scared. He finally undid the last button, and he slid the material off of her. She stood in front of him, her eyes trained on the floor, her breathing incredibly fast. He took in her white lace undergarments, her pale and flat stomach, her long smooth legs. And he couldn't help but stare at her breasts in the white bra. She was glorious. He noticed how she wouldn't look at him and how fast her breathing was. He took her chin in his hand and lifted her head so her gaze met his. "You're stunning" he whispered and she blushed again. He cupped her face in his hands and his mouth met hers. He heard her moan against him, and it thrilled him. His hands roamed over her body, touching every curve and enjoying the feel of her skin. He felt himself backing her up until the back of her knees hit the bed and she fell onto the mattres. He starred down at her. Her swollen lips and beautiful green eyes. Her dark brown curls were loose and fanned out around her head. He bent down and kissed her over and over again. They readjusted so her head was on the pillow, and he was on top of her planting kisses down her neck. "I'm nervous" she whispered and he nodded. "Me too" he admitted. He gave her a tender kiss, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He then began to kiss down her neck and collar bone again and she ran her fingers through his silky hair. And just like that, their nerves went away, and they only focused on each other.

Willy blinked his eyes open a few times. Sunlight was pouring in from the window, and he could smell something sweet. _Vanilla and marshmallows_, he thought. He looked down to see Emma's head resting on his bare chest, and he smiled pressing his nose into her hair. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She stirred a little, and he went very still, not wanting her to wake up just yet. He watched her sleep for a long time, completely at peace. She finally opened her eyes and a large smile spread across her face. "Good morning" she said looking up at him. "Good morning" he said kissing the top of her head. She laid her head back down on his chest and he pulled her closer to him. She gently rubbed her hand along his torso and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They didn't say anything for a long time. They simply laid there, enjoying the feeling of being so close to one another. "Do you remember when you asked me why I came alone?" She suddenly asked and he nodded, thinking back to the day of the tour. It seemed like a lifetime ago. "You said it was because you _were_ alone" he told her. "I'm not alone anymore Willy" she whispered looking back into his eyes giving him a brilliant smile. "Neither am I" He said softly, returning her smile.

From that point on, the two were inseparable. They spent every minute they could together. Willy's father was a frequent visitor, who came over every Sunday night for dinner. Emma had come up with hundreds of new ideas, and Wonka candy nearly tripled in sales. And they were all truly happy. Willy and Emma went from being completely alone, to having a family. Something Emma had missed terribly, and something Willy never knew he wanted. They completed each other. They made each other better. And they loved each other fiercely. Willy sat at the dinner table and looked at his father and his beautiful Emma. They were all laughing, passing plates of food around the table, and of course, plates of candy. He smiled to himself. Life had never been sweeter for the glorious chocolatier.


End file.
